This is the reason we try to jinx no-hitters as quickly as possible.

Yes, we tell everyone that it is because of the extra work involved, but that's never been the reason. I suspect some of the newer writers - the ones that never covered games at Tiger Stadium - even think that's the reason.

But we know the truth. We know about the Curse of Virgil "Fire" Trucks.

In 1952, Virgil Trucks pitched two no-hitters for a terrible Tigers team. He actually went 5-19 that season, despite adding a one-hitter and a two-hitter to the two no-nos. After the season, he was traded to one of few teams in baseball that sucked more than the Tigers - the St. Louis Browns.

Everyone knows that. What most people don't know - well, at least they didn't know it until today - is that when Trucks was told that he was going to the Browns, he put a curse on the team. He said that if any Tigers pitcher threw a no-hitter at Tiger Stadium, the world would come to an end.

I let myself get excited last night. I figured that it wasn't Tiger Stadium and it wouldn't matter. Besides, who believes in curses?

This morning, though, I started seeing random news stories that didn't mean anything unless you knew what to look for - a strange murder in northeast Georgia, two killings in Southfield, some weirdness in Los Angeles.

So far, it is just the Tigers Hall of Famers. But who is going to turn down a Hall of Famer?

We might have been OK if it had just been Cobb. He was a jackass when he was alive, and how many zombies can he pull together in Royston?

But Hank Greenberg's in the biggest Jewish cemetery in Hollywood. Christ, can you imagine an army of zombies led by Milton Berle, Jack Benny and Moe Howard? People will be giggling and screaming in terror at the same time, and that's when they'll get run over by the zombie cavalry, led by Michael Landon and Lorne Greene.

And who in the hell put Charlie Gehringer in the same cemetery as Harry Heilmann? Especially in suburban Detroit? Doesn't ANYONE know history any more?

Angie's at work, and Britt's at her dad's. There's a part of me that wants to lock myself in the dungeon, but that's not going to help. I just called Dana. We're going to round up Julia and Crystal and head for Southfield. Maybe it isn't too late.

I just hope someone in Georgia and Los Angeles gives us some help. We're going to need it.